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German stars call on voters to shun far-right AfD in ‘Görliwood’

Film stars and authors are leading a call for a small town dubbed "Görliwood" to shun the far-right in mayoral elections next week.

Published: 7 June 2019 13:33 CEST
German stars call on voters to shun far-right AfD in 'Görliwood'
Daniel Brühl is one of the stars calling for Görlitz to shun the far-right. Photo: DPA

On the border with Poland, the quaint little town of Görlitz has become the backdrop of many Hollywood blockbusters including “Inglorious Bastards” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel”.

It holds a second round run-off vote for a new mayor later this month, after a first vote was topped by the candidate from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Alarmed that the town could become the first in Germany with an AfD mayor, actors including Daniel Brühl and Volker Bruch, plus writers like Daniel Kehlmann and Bernhard Schlink have signed a petition urging voters in Görlitz: “Don't give in to hate and hostility, conflict and exclusion.”

READ ALSO: Eastern German town of Görlitz named the best filming location in Europe

Volker Bruch who starred in Babylon Berlin was also part of the call. Photo: DPA

“Please vote wisely… Don't betray your convictions the moment someone claims to be able to solve problems for you,” according to the appeal that is to be officially published on Monday.

SEE ALSO: Meet the East German Greens candidate offering another alternative

As The Local reported, in mayoral elections held on May 26th, the AfD candidate Sebastian Wippel, 36, took 36.4 percent of the vote. He was followed by Christian Democratic (CDU) candidate Octavian Ursu, 51, who won 30.3 percent of the vote.

Green Party candidate Franziska Schubert, 37, came in third place with 27.9 percent of the vote.

The picturesque town has been featured in several movies. Photo: DPA

However, because none of the candidates won an absolute majority, there will be another round of elections on June 16th. On May 26th, 58.6 percent of the city's 56,000 residents voted.

Political rift

The results show a political rift in the population. The far-right populists in Görlitz won 32.9 percent of the votes in the Bundestag (parliamentary) elections in 2017 and were 6 percentage points ahead of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

Görlitz, Germany's most eastern town, has seen a mass exodus – like many others in the former communist East – as people sought higher wages in western regions.

Spared damage by Allied bombing during World War II, the Old Town's eye-catching medieval architecture draws a steady stream of visitors, some hoping to catch a glimpse of Hollywood stars in action.

But like in other towns in the state of Saxony, the anti-migrant AfD party has gained a strong footing in Görlitz, manging to woo over voters.

Alice Weidel, leader of the AfD parliamentary group in the Bundestag takes a selfie during the election campaign in Görlitz. Photo: DPA

Railing against Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to let in more than a million asylum seekers, the AfD took nearly 13 percent of the vote overall in the federal elections, becoming Germany's biggest opposition party.

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POLITICS

‘Dexit’ would cost Germany ‘€690 billion and millions of jobs’

According to the German Economic Institute (IW), Germany's exit from the EU – the so-called Dexit – would cost millions of jobs and significantly reduce the country's prosperity.

Published: 19 May 2024 18:04 CEST
'Dexit' would cost Germany '€690 billion and millions of jobs'

In a study presented by the Cologne-based institute on Sunday, the authors showed that a Dexit would cause real GDP to drop by 5.6 percent after just five years. This means that Germany would lose 690 billion euros in value creation during this time.

In addition, Germany as an export nation is dependent on trade with other countries, especially with other EU countries, warned the authors. Companies and consumers in Germany would therefore feel the consequences “clearly” and around 2.5 million jobs would be lost.

The study is based on the consequences of Britain’s exit from the EU, such as the loss of trade agreements and European workers.

Taken together, the losses in economic output in Germany in the event of a Dexit would be similar to those seen during Covid-19 and the energy cost crisis in the period from 2020 to 2023, the authors warned.

Brexit is therefore “not an undertaking worth imitating,” warned IW managing director Hubertus Bardt. Rather, Brexit is a “warning for other member states not to carelessly abandon economic integration.”

Leader of the far-right AfD party Alice Weidel described Great Britain’s exit from the European Union at the beginning of the year as a “model for Germany.”

In an interview published in the Financial Times, Weidel outlined her party’s approach in the event her party came to power: First, the AfD would try to resolve its “democratic deficit” by reforming the EU. If this was not successful, a referendum would be called on whether Germany should remain in the EU.

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